Volcano in Iceland

Krafla volcano: eruption status today

Updated

No eruption of Krafla is being reported right now Last eruption: 1964 or later; last significant eruption 1977 (NOAA NCEI).

Live status of Krafla: whether it is erupting now, satellite hot spots, earthquakes around it, and what an eruption would mean for nearby cities and flights.

Status now
No open report
Last eruption
1964 or later last significant: 1977
Elevation
800 m 2,625 ft
Type
Caldera
Earthquakes within 50 km
0 past 30 days (USGS)
Hot spots within 10 km
0 latest NASA FIRMS VIIRS data
Nearest city
Reykjavík 300 km WSW

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Is Krafla erupting right now?

There is no open NASA EONET event for Krafla right now. NOAA NCEI dates its most recent eruption to 1964 or later, and the last eruption in its significant-eruption database was in 1977. Volcano observatories can raise alert levels before an eruption starts, so check the national observatory for the current alert level.

No satellite thermal hot spot was detected within 10 km of the summit in the latest NASA FIRMS data, so there is no sign of lava at the surface large enough for VIIRS to see (clouds can hide it).

Earthquakes near Krafla

USGS has no earthquake within 50 km of Krafla in the past 30 days. Outside the United States USGS mainly lists quakes above about M4, so small volcanic tremors recorded by the local observatory will not appear here.

About Krafla

Krafla is a caldera in Iceland-NE, Iceland, rising to 800 m (2,625 ft). NOAA NCEI classes its eruptive history as "Historical".

A caldera is a large collapse depression left after a major eruption; activity can range from small steam blasts to rare, very large eruptions.

The volcano is remote: the nearest city in our list is Reykjavík, 300 km away.

Flights and volcanic ash

1 major airport is within 400 km; the closest is Keflavík (KEF), 338 km away. Volcanic ash melts in jet engines, so an explosive eruption can close airspace and cancel flights even far downwind.

Volcanic Ash Advisory Centres (VAACs) issue the official ash advisories that airlines and air traffic control follow.

AirportDistanceDirection
Keflavík (KEF)338 kmWSW

Other volcanoes in Iceland

Iceland has 20 volcanoes on this site that erupted since 1900 or are active now. The closest other one is Askja, 76 km away.

Nearby volcanoes

Volcanoes in Iceland

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Data: NOAA NCEI Volcano Locations, NASA EONET (open volcano events), USGS earthquakes, NASA FIRMS (VIIRS hot spots), Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program.